Daisy and Sara

So I have these two wonderful dogs, Daisy and Sara. Both were adopted from the same agency: Daisy two and a half years ago, Sara a year and a half ago. I always wanted to have a dog for all the obvious reasons of having a companion, a protector, and something else living in my condo besides plants and me.

But, to be honest, my desire to get a dog was spurred by my father who had one when he was a teenager. The dog was a Doberman and, apparently, very loyal to him. Now, when I was a kid, my father said I couldn't have a pet because we travelled on vacation too often. This may or may not have been a valid reason, though I used to think he scheduled family trips just so this no-pet rule would be justified. Regardless, though he had experienced the joys of having a dog as a kid, he would not let me get one. The hypocrisy of this would be a mild annoyance for me, but never enough to compel me to do anything about it.

A few years later, my mother and father would go through a very acrimonious divorce and the relationship between my father and I would deteriorate to the point where we no longer spoke to each other. That was sixteen years ago. Unfortunate, but not unique. Nevertheless, anger toward my father was the compulsion (a kind of slow grind of pressure) that grew over time to the point where I, unwittingly, only needed a spark to change me into a a doggie adopter.

That catalyst came in the form of a very innocuous conversation with a dear friend who, after a few glasses of wine, said simply, "You can have a dog." She then immunmerated all the reasons why my life was ideal for a canine addition: Owning my own company (so a dog could come to work with me), owning my own condo (so I wouldn't have to worry about getting permission from a landlord), enough money, etc. etc.

Without trying to sound cliched, it was an epiphany of sorts. I suddenly saw all the many reasons for having a dog when I used to only see reasons not to.

And so, I adopted Daisy and, in a sense (at least in my own mind), one-upped my father. Silly, I suppose. But it made me feel better and I ended up adopting a darling shepherd-pit bull mix. And a beautiful shepherd a year later.